The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1887-01-29
Letter From Florida.
ORLANDO, Fla, Jan. 81, 1887.


our trip, weather, &C.. up to our ar
rival in Orlando. We have been
here two weeks last night, have not
seen much of Florida vet, but must
say that l am favOrably impressed
with Orlando and the country around
1t.
Tuesday morning l went to Sand
ford, which is on the st. Johns
river, the point where the large bulk
of the travellers and sOjourners come
tn take the railroad for South FlOri-
da. Until within the last four or
five years, the st Johns river was
the place for winter resort.
From Sandford went to Enter
prise, five miles across the lake or
st. Johns river. This river, it
seems, is almost one continuous lake,
the water looking like some of our
Kentucky ponds i'm summer time,
when the grass and weeds grow in
until the water is green. cannot
help but think there il a great deal
of malaria along this river, especial
'ly in summer and fall.
AT Enterprise there is a very large
hotel with $50 or 200 rooms with a
very large green yard fronting on
the river with evergreen shrubbery,
live oak and orange trees) besides a
number of smaller hotels and board
ing houses, with store houses, which
keep anything called for, larger than
any three houses in Frankfort put
together.
Along the st. John the orange,
they say, is not as good, that is not
as sweet, as the oranges grown further
south, or up the Indian river. This
am told by those who live up In
dian river or south of st. John.
JacksOnsOnville, from what l can
learn, is or has been the distributing
rOint for the whole of South Florida,
but in the last two or three years
railroads have been and are being
built through aud across the State in
every direction, so the country is
drummed by men of all trades, pro-
LESSONS, and businesses, from the
East, Baltimore, and st. Louis, until
goods and merchandise of all kinds
are shipped directly to any station.
Every station has one or more hotels,
SO YOU see Jacksonville is being got
around, and will be more and more
so long as new roads are opened.
OF course | cannot tell what the
future will be, but | think there is
too much speculation here. They
are not satisfied with orange groves,
but it looks as though they are trying
to make the orange country one vast
city. The stations are from four to
six miles apart, and almost every
place is laid off for a city, from ii
half to one mile square, some with
the streets cut in every direction
through the pine woods.
Orlando is the county seat Of
Orange county. Five or six years
ago it was in the woods. The limits
now extend one mile from the court
house in every direction. 1t has Il
population, they say, of six thous-
and. A very small portion is thick
~ settled. The houses are scattered
from one limit to the other, most of
them very fine residences, with gar
dens and orange groves Of from one
to ten acres. There are also, in the linz
its, thirteen beautiful lakes Of bright
clear water, each running from one
to the other, until from one sinks
and goes no one knows where. In
these lakes are several species of fish,
among them are the black bass,
weighing as much as ten pounds so !
am told. have only seen one party
fishing. He told me he caught, the
day before, II that would average
two and a half pounds. These lakes,
at guess, will make from ten to
twenty acres each, perhaps more, and
apt 70 be more than. less.
Florida lis full Of these lakes,
wherever you go, some OF them, i am
told, from tive'tO fifteen miles wide
and long. Most of them are almost
perfectly rOund,- with fine residences
and orange groves all around, with
walks and drives. From our win.
dOws We can see one around which
Is race track, one mile, we have
witnessed several races without go
ing to them. On this lake are two
bath houses. arm told there are, be-
sides fish, alligatOrs in it, but none
seem to be afraid of them, except one
lady, who boards ut our hotel, who has
one son, who size says would go in
the lake Sin spite of all she can do or
say, and she would not be surprised
at any time if he. was chewed up by
an alligator" For fear he would be
chewed up, she sent him to New
York to school.
There are a vast NUMBER Of real
estate agents here. Most of the sales
Of nrOnprtv ara mafla thrOugh them